LIVESTREAM CONCERT with Männerstimmen Basel Choir
photo by Gaspard Weissheimer
Knickerbockers, a pair of braces, and corduroy jackets: the antiquated look of the Männerstimmen Basel choristers is in stark contrast to the youth of these lads and their fresh performances.
Aged between 18-32 years, they have impressed audiences and juries in their home country, Switzerland, as well as abroad with their musical performances. For example, they have won Gold medals at the World Choir Games, the Olympic games of choral singing, in Riga (Latvia 2014) and Cincinnati (Ohio 2012), and also the prizes for the best Swiss choir and the best male choir at the Montreux Choral Festival (Switzerland 2012). Moreover, the Männerstimmen Basel were recognized with the "Fleischmann International Trophy" (Ireland 2011) for the best interpretation of a contemporary piece.
This energetic choir combines passion and ease, both on and off stage. Having a laugh together is just as important as rehearsing and performing. Thanks to the sponsorship by a local brewery in their hometown Basel, the choristers' supply of amber nectar is ever flowing.
In concert, however, everyone is focused and attentive to the instructions of conductor Oliver Rudin and vice-conductor David Rossel. The choir performs a large repertoire of sacred and secular music from all epochs along with folk songs, and contemporary classical literature with ardour and style. The two conductors carefully select the pieces to satisfy the choir's high standards. Each year, the choir awards a commission to well-known contemporary composers (e.g. Rudolf Jaggi, Gion Antoni Derungs, Hans-Martin Linde, Javier Hagen). Ready for any challenge, the choir also revisits unknown and long forgotten music.
Even though the registered society Männerstimmen Basel (literally translated to "Men's voices Basel") was established only 7 years ago, the choir's musical roots reach far beyond that, as many of the members have a past in diverse choral ensembles. The choir was founded by former choristers of the boys' choir Basel (Knabenkantorei Basel) in 2008. Since then, the choir has performed all over Switzerland, in Estonia, Latvia, Macedonia, Ireland, Slovenia, and the United States.
The program for the performance includes:
Þórarinn Jónsson (1900–1974): Ár vas aldaAn Icelandic chant from the Völuspá epic poem about the world's creation.
Franz Schubert (1797–1828): Gesang der Geister über den Wassern, D. 538
A romantic 4-part setting of a Goethe poem on ancient spirits singing over the water.
Ivo Antognini (* 1963): Diluvium – COMMISSIONEDA Latin elegy in classical Roman style about St. Mary Magdalene's Flood in Basel in 1480.
Iker González Cobeaga (* 1976): MaitiaAn orphaned mother's poem about finding solace in the phenomena of seasons.
David Rossel (* 1988): Bogoroditchen, op. 22/4 – COMMISSIONEDAn Orthodox Marian hymn from the Eastern Church requiem liturgy.
Hans Huber (1852–1921): Nachts
A romantic song about the atmosphere at the Rhine river banks in the night.
Javier Busto (* 1949): OzeanoA musical dive to the colourful beauty of the underwater world and its corals.
Carl Rütti (* 1949): O Phaeton, Phaeton – COMMISSIONED
A cheerful setting of a 15th century adaption of Ovid's legend on Phaethon's fall.
Gion Balzer Casanova (* 1938): La sera sper il lag
A popular Romansh folk song about a love couple at a mountain lake at dusk.
Ludwig Senfl (1490–1543), arr. Hans Oser (1895–1951): Ach Elslein, liebes Elselein mein
An old 16th-century folk song about a love couple separated by two deep rivers.
Darius Milhaud (1892–1974): Psaume 121, op. 72
A jubilant psalm setting from spherical-calm to vibrant-loud.
Veljo Tormis (1930–2017): Incantatio maris æstuosiA description of a stormy sea ride commemorating the sinking of MS Estonia in 1994.
Ēriks Ešenvalds (* 1977): Coruscatio
A haunting setting about a hail storm destroying roofs and fields in 15th-century Basel.
Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson (1938–2013): Buslaraborg
An Old Norse chant meets an Icelandic translation of an ancient poem on Basel.
Paul Schaller (1913–1989): O Basel, du holtselig Statt
A joyous setting of another medieval poem on Basel.
Jan Sandström (* 1954): Vuojnha Biegga
A Nordic yoik chant about the ancestor's spirits streaming in the wind.